Quick answer: Rob = take something from a person or place — the object of rob is the victim or location: rob a bank, rob someone. Steal = take an object that belongs to someone else — the object of steal is the thing taken: steal money, steal a car.
Comparison Table
| Word | Part of Speech | Object of the verb | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| rob | verb | the person or place being taken from | They robbed the jeweller. |
| steal | verb | the thing being taken | They stole the jewels. |
When to Use Rob
Use rob when the object of the verb is the person, organisation, or place being victimised. Ask yourself: am I naming who or where was targeted? If yes, use rob. The past tense is robbed; the noun is robbery; the person is a robber.
Armed men robbed the bank on Market Street.
Someone robbed her at knifepoint on the way home.
The gang robbed three post offices in one night.
He was robbed of his wallet while waiting for the bus.
The store was robbed twice last year.
When to Use Steal
Use steal when the object of the verb is the thing being taken. Ask yourself: am I naming the item removed? If yes, use steal. The past tense is stole; the past participle is stolen; the noun is theft; the person is a thief.
Someone stole my bicycle from outside the library.
The thieves stole over £50,000 in cash.
He stole a car and drove it to the airport.
Artwork worth millions was stolen from the gallery.
She stole his ideas and presented them as her own.
The Grammar Rule in Plain English
The key difference is purely grammatical: it is about what word follows the verb.
| Verb | Followed by | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| rob | person or place | rob + [person/place] |
| steal | the object taken | steal + [thing] |
| steal | thing + from + person/place | steal [thing] from [person/place] |
Both verbs can describe the same crime. They robbed the bank and stole the money is a perfectly natural sentence that uses both correctly: robbed takes the place (bank) as its object; stole takes the thing (money).
Common Mistakes
✗ Someone robbed my phone on the train.
✓ Someone stole my phone on the train.
✓ Someone robbed me on the train.
✗ Three men stole the cashier at gunpoint.
✓ Three men robbed the cashier at gunpoint.
✓ Three men stole the money from the cashier.
✗ They robbed money from the bank.
✓ They stole money from the bank.
✓ They robbed the bank.
Memory Tip
Mnemonic: Think of Rob = Rips off the Room (or person) — the R words all focus on a place or person. Steal = Snatches the Stuff — the S words focus on the item taken. Ask yourself: am I naming a Room/person (rob) or the Stuff (steal)?
10 Example Sentences
1. (Rob) The gang robbed two tourists near the station.
2. (Steal) The pickpocket stole a wallet from the tourist’s bag.
3. (Rob) Masked men robbed a jewellery shop in the town centre.
4. (Steal) She admitted that she had stolen the necklace from the display case.
5. (Rob) He was robbed of his championship title due to a doping scandal.
6. (Steal) The hackers stole millions of customer passwords.
7. (Rob) The criminals robbed the delivery driver and took his van.
8. (Steal) Someone stole the bicycle that was chained to the fence.
9. (Rob) The company was robbed of its trade secrets by a rival firm.
10. (Steal) She managed to steal the show with her surprise performance.
Mini-Quiz: Fill in the Blank
Choose rob / robbed or steal / stole / stolen for each sentence. Answers are shown below each item.
1. Three men in masks _______ the convenience store and escaped with the cash.
Answer: robbed — the object is the store (a place), so use rob.
2. My laptop was _______ from the library when I left it unattended.
Answer: stolen — the object is the laptop (a thing), so use steal.
3. The pickpocket _______ the tourist’s passport from her bag.
Answer: stole — the object is the passport (a thing), so use steal.
4. She felt completely _______ when her colleague took credit for her work.
Answer: robbed — she (a person) is the victim, so use rob (robbed of credit).
5. The thieves _______ paintings worth over a million pounds from the gallery.
Answer: stole — the object is the paintings (things), so use steal.